Memories
by Angelic Giggles
Summary: Some weeks after Sanosuke left Shimabara have passed, and Sayo is still on his mind, what happens when the Onna-sensei decides to pay him a visit?


_Sayo…_

The unspoken named lingered in the air of the broken down room Sanosuke Sagara lived in.  Even though no sound had escaped his mouth, the name ran through his head like a scream in an empty night.  To Sagara Sanosuke, the fact that Sayo had died so young hurt him.  Someone as good, as kind, as caring as she was did not deserved to die.  But guess what Sanosuke's long dead captain used to say was right.

_Good people die first…_

With an unexplainable rage Sanosuke clenched his right hand into a fist.  A wave of pain shot through his arm…but it was nothing compared to the pain he was feeling in his heart.  He looked down at his hand, for a moment annoyed at the pain, but as soon as his eyes lay upon it his look softened and a small smile appeared in his face.  The bandages were old and dirty.  A grey color adorned the once white bandages, and little droplets of blood were seen in random places.  He hadn't changed them.  He couldn't change them.  These were the bandages Sayo had wrapped around his injured hand, and taking them off and throwing them away would be like throwing what little memories he had of her. 

He had not been to Genzai-sensei's clinic, as Kenshin so fervently had advised.  He knew that if he went there Megumi would listen to no reason and would change the bandages anyway.  

_Che__…that fox lady…_

Sanosuke knew he liked Megumi. But before he had thought he loved her…but upon meeting Sayo all the thoughts about loving Megumi evaporated into thin air.  What he felt for Megumi, could not be compared for what he had felt…and still felt for Sayo.  He knew that what he felt for Sayo had been _true _love.  But guess God had thought Sayo was too good for Sanosuke, and had taken her away from him.  Before he could ruin her life…

The sound of loud whistling could be heard just outside and Sanosuke looked up from his hand in curiosity.  

_What the…_

The voice of a woman responding coolly and elegantly could be heard and his heart gave a jump.  

_The onna-sensei?__ What the hell is she doing here?_ Sanosuke thought while standing up from his 'futon', one he had found outside a dumpster, too old to really resemble anything, but a futon none the less.  In less then ten seconds a knock on his door could be heard and Sanosuke stood up, one hand reaching behind him to scratch the back of his neck.  

"Sanosuke? Are you there?" the female voice could be heard from behind the wooden door. 

_Yup…definitely the fox lady…  _For a moment Sanosuke was tempted to not answering and letting Megumi think he was not there.  He was not in the mood to talk or to even let an uncomfortable silence fall over them.  He usually loved every little minute he could spend with the Foxy doc, either bickering or watching her tend to him in silence.  But since he had left Shimabara things had changed.  

He thought he loved Megumi, but after meeting Sayo the 'love' that he had felt for the doctor turned into just a small crush.  True love had been with Sayo.  The one that comes right away and pierces your heart.  Or so he thought….if it hadn't been true love, then why did he feel so miserable? Why couldn't he forget her?  

"Rooster! If you are there you better open this door!  If you don't want me to tear it down my self that is!" the onna-sensei started pounding on it annoyed.  Sanosuke stared at the door and digging his hands in his pockets started walking towards it. 

 Outside Takani Megumi removed her fist from the door and guided it to back to her medicine chest.  

_Just because Ken-san asked me to do this…_ she kept telling her self as she stared around the place.  Her eyes focused on the two men she had been speaking to earlier, they were still staring at her with the same lust they had before, but the glare she gave them made them turn away this time.  Hearing a small creak coming from in front of her made her turn, just to find her self staring at the well built chest of Sanosuke Sagara.  Immediately her eyes traveled up and settle on his face.

The feeling that aroused on her chest made Megumi repeat the line she had been saying to her self ever since she walked out of the clinic.  _I'm doing this because Ken-san asked me to…_ But at the speed her heart was racing made her think otherwise. 

"About time you opened the door rooster, I could have been violated out here…" she said politely resting a hand on his bare chest and pushing him to the side so she could come in.  

The touch sent electric shocks up Sanosuke's skin and he cursed mentally.  Hell…if he wasn't in love with Megumi then why the feeling?  He shook his head slowly and closed the door, turning to look at Megumi.

"Oi, Fox, what brings you here?" he asked digging the hand he had used to open the door back into his pocket.  Megumi turned around, both hands clutching her medicine chest.  One of her raven eyebrows rose, immediately disappearing behind her dark bangs.  

"Well, you haven't been to the clinic in so long, and I thought I told you I needed to check that hand of yours every ten days….and the other reason" _I missed you._ The thought took Megumi by surprise and she mentally kicked her self.  "Ken-san asked me to come and check on you" she finished coolly, and praying none of her thoughts had shown on her face.  Obviously they hadn't for Sanosuke looked slightly annoyed.

"My hand is fine…" he said, subconsciously digging his right hand deeper into his pocket.  Megumi raised both eyebrows now, a complete look of disbelief on her face.

"Oh?  Well, getting it checked once won't hurt it, ne?" she asked while looking around for a table of some sort.  None.   Sighing Megumi discarded the Futon, finding it not safe and decided to sit down on the floor instead…at least this looked a bit clean.  She looked up at Sanosuke and raised an eyebrow.  "Hmm?" she patted the empty spot next to her.  "I can treat to your hand stand up…and I obviously can treat it if I a sitting down and you are doing otherwise…" she said reaching up and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.  

A dim line appeared on the middle of Sanosuke's eyebrows and he took his hands out of his pockets, only to cross his arms over his chest stubbornly.  "No…" he said so firmly that it startled Megumi.  With a small sigh she raised her other eyebrow. 

"Why not?" she asked simply, but Sanosuke could see the spark starting to flare up in her eyes.   He uncrossed her arms and gave a small shrug, feeling like a complete idiot afterwards.  He always thought telling what was on your mind was best…but…he thought that just talking about Sayo would make the memories go away.  It was the same thing with his bandana.  He had wore that when he was in the Sekihoutai, and he thought throwing it out, or simply not wearing it anymore would just make all his memories of Sagara Taichou disappear.  

"Look…I just…kuso…" he swore under his breath. His right hand clenched, but he didn't even flinch at the pain.  Megumi's eyes traveled from his face and on to his hand, and her heart gave a bolt.  The sight of the dirty bandages and the scattered drops of blood were enough to break her heart.  

"Sanosuke! I HAVE to change those bandages!" she snapped, immediately jumping to her feet.  "Look at your hand,  you need to get it checked!" she immediately reached for it but he moved away, letting Megumi's hand linger in mid air.  "Sanosuke…"

"No…"  Sanosuke said simply.  _Why is he being so stubborn!!_ Megumi thought while glaring at him, hoping the 'look' would work, it usually did.  But Sanosuke had a determined look on his face.  Worried, Megumi shifted her glare towards his hand, and immediately her look softened.  His thumb was gently caressing the dirty rags, and Megumi knew it wasn't a nervous reaction that was causing him to do that, he was caressing them like someone caresses something they have a deep affection for.  She found the reaction adorable, but at the same time it pained her.  She had not wrapped those bandages…The way they were wrapped around Sanosuke's injured hand was different then the way she wrapped them.  So that was why…perhaps someone he cared about had wrapped them?  

"Sanosuke…" she said one hand holding her medicine chest.  "I will not change the bandages if you do not want me to…" she said staring at him.  Sanosuke's brown eyes unglued themselves from the floor and settled on the frame of the onna-sensei.  Megumi picked up the medicine chest and held it in front of her, pressed against her abdomen.

"It is obvious to me that you hold some sort of feeling towards those bandages…"she said, searching Sanosuke's face for something.  But Sanosuke's was only staring at her, brown eyes blank, when they usually showed whatever he was thinking.  Windows to the soul.  "But…" she said walking past him and towards the door.  "You don't need to have those bandages on to help you remember that person…" she said, her back to him and his back to her.  This reminded her of the time she decided to go back to Kanryuu's mansion, and Sanosuke in his own _special_ way tried to persuade her.  They were standing in the same position as now.  "To remember a person…You do not need objects….if you really loved them…if you really know them…they will always remain in your heart…" she said softly and prepared her self to leave.  She herd the faint noise of someone sitting down on the futon and just as she was about to open the door a familiar voice 

"Oi, Fox…what kind of doctor are ya?!" 

Megumi turned around, one eyebrow raised.  "Pardon?" she asked, grinning inside.

"Leaving your patient without treating his hand…" Sanosuke turned to look at her, his lopsided grin plastered on his face.  With a grin of her own, Megumi turned around and made her way towards the futon.  She didn't even bother to give Sanosuke a good comeback, she was just glad he was gonna let her treat him.

As she started unwrapping the bandages she frowned, the hand was in a bad condition, but not as bad as it had been after his fight with Anji.  

"Do you want to know about her?" Sanosuke asked in a gruff forced voice, one sign that he was nervous.  Megumi looked up and the smile that she gave Sanosuke froze him for a second.  It was the warmest smile he had seen coming from the Onna-sensei.  It was both sincere and full of innocent curiosity.  

"Yes, I would like to hear about her very much" Megumi answered sincerely.  

"Well, her name was Sayo" Sanosuke began, already feeling the pain of his hear lift.  

Outside a gentle rain started to pour…just like secrets are poured out to someone you love.

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My First one shot and officially my first finished fiction.  Gomen for all the other fics I haven't finished and for all my loyal readers out there.  I will post another chapter..soon enough. O.o;

Now, some notes.  I have never watched the Shimabara arc.  So…if I did something wrong or stuff, tell me.  Errr.. I placed it after the Kyoto arc and before the Revenge arc, so, if it is not right..sorry!!

Well…hope you liked.. Review and flame if you wish…buuuuut if you are an anonymous flamer, leave me your e-mail, or you can flame me by IM 

Megumi_xfoxladyx_takani  in yahoo.

Yes, I role play Rurouni Kenshin.  Yay for me!!


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